Re. Lip Service: An open letter to the BBC

Not everyone likes ballroom dancing. Some of us want lesbian drama

First of all, let me start by saying that I love your work. French
and Saunders. Luther. That show at 10pm where well-groomed people
keep me updated about all the murders and bombings that have been
going on around the world. Love all that. You've made me laugh and
you've plunged me into the very depths of depression over the years
and I thank you for every moment of it. (Especially the French and
Saunders stuff.)

I'm writing because there is a "but", however. You might say I
have a request. You see, it's not that I don't like houses and
attics and helicopters, but I don't really want to watch TV shows
about them. But you seem to be all about making and airing those
shows; at a glance I see you have made and are airing programmes
today called Homes Under The Hammer, Cash in the Attic and
Helicopter Heroes. I've also noticed you have a quiz show on every
weeknight (every weeknight BBC!) called Pointless. Pointless. I'm
not going to say another word, but I think you need to know that
I've just made my lip bleed by biting it so hard. That, BBC, is a
health and safety issue. Pointlessness aside, I've also noticed
you're big on celebrities cooking, "ordinary" people cooking, and
ballroom dancing in a competitive environment. Me, not so much.
Generally speaking, I don't watch that stuff.

I could ramble on at you for hours about shows I don't watch, BBC,
but you're probably busy, so I'll get to the point. What I'd like
is a third season of Lip Service. Now before you say anything,
stop, because I know what you're going to say. A third season of
Lip Service might cost money, possibly more money than gathering a
group of people in a studio and having them twirl about in
cheap-looking spangling costumes. But it'll be worth it. Lip
Service is a good show. There's a script. There's a plot. It's not
just ephemeral razzmatazz. The second series I found to be funny,
dramatic, and often sad; it may have even saved my life by
containing a very stark reminder of the importance of exercising
caution while texting and crossing the road. And it's not just me,
BBC. A lot of people want to see it continue. Here's a bit of
proof: a twitition with more than 2200 signatures.

There's nothing most of us like more than the sound of our own
voice, BBC, so I'm going to end by quoting you at yourself, if I
may. Here's what you say on your own website, re. commissioning
shows and diversity and the representation of diversity on your
programmes:

"The BBC is committed to embracing diversity and so your proposal
should include a paragraph explaining how the programme would
fulfil our diversity commitment to reflect fully the licence fee
paying public (either on or off-screen.)"

You also say:

"Recognising the importance of diversity in everything we make
provides us with a creative opportunity to better reflect our
audiences and who we are through our output. It is about avoiding
sameness to achieve authenticity onscreen."

Sounds great.

So. All I'm asking, really, is for you to live up to your
commitments. Stop hesitating and commission this already. Because
although I think your heart's in the right place and I'm looking
forward to the Sue Perkins sitcom, I'd like something more from
you. Not everyone likes watching Ballroom Cooking competitions and
auctions. Your audience is diverse, and your programming needs to
do more to reflect that. Some of us want lesbian drama. Put very
simply, we want to see Lexy and Tess get married, BBC, and we want
it sooner rather than later.